Asantehene Pledges Full Support To Galamsey Fight 


Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has expressed his resolve to help fight the galamsey menace plaguing some parts of the country.

The Asantehene gave his support when the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources John Peter Amewu, called on him at the Manhyia palace in Kumasi.

The Minister’s call on the Asantehene comes on the heels of protest from small sale miners in the Ashanti Region over the ban.

According to Otumfuo Osei Tutu, the sweeping ban on mining is not to prevent people from mining but to allow the government roll out a comprehensive policy on mining so as to protect the environment.

“The suspension of the small scale mining is fine. We need to plead with the small scale miners to understand this; that government is not saying that you can’t mine but for now, please stop for them to come up with a better program,” he said.

“Mr. Minister, please continue. Your ministers are supporting you. We support you and want you to do the right thing for Ghana. You are not doing it for yourself, you are doing it for generations yet unborn.”

The Asantehene lauded the Lands Ministry for the bold political action taken to clamp down on illegal mining activities in the country. 

He bemoaned the lack of political will by past governments in dealing with the situation, regretting how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other state agencies mandated to manage the environment had not been effective. 

He pledged his full support for the actions taken. 

Addressing the miners, Otumfuo said: “They (small scale miners) are also to be blamed because they were mining and the galamseyers were mining. They could have drawn government’s attention to the fact that these people who were doing galamsey were destroying the environment. These are issues that are multifaceted so we need to take bold decision and confront it and find an amicable solution and from there, we can move on.”

He also advised the minister to develop a blueprint on mining that will clearly state Ghana’s position and the challenges in the sector which need solutions.

“Do a blueprint and do a road show to present it to them so they (possible donors) know this is our position and this is our predicament and we need them to support and we can find solutions to that,” he urged.



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